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Python Metaclass Tutorial: Convert Attribute Names to Uppercase


Basic Metaclass:

Write a Python program to create a metaclass “UpperAttrMeta” that converts all attribute names of a class to uppercase.

Sample Solution:

Python Code :

# Define a metaclass that converts all attribute names to uppercase
class UpperAttrMeta(type):
    def __new__(cls, name, bases, dct):
        # Create a new dictionary to store uppercase attributes
        uppercase_attr = {}
        for name, value in dct.items():
            if not name.startswith('__'):
                # Convert attribute name to uppercase
                uppercase_attr[name.upper()] = value
            else:
                # Preserve special methods as they are
                uppercase_attr[name] = value
        # Create the new class with modified attributes
        return super().__new__(cls, name, bases, uppercase_attr)

# Create a class using the metaclass
class MyClass(metaclass=UpperAttrMeta):
    foo = 'bar'
    baz = 'qux'

# Test the class
print(hasattr(MyClass, 'foo'))  # False, because attribute names are uppercase
print(hasattr(MyClass, 'FOO'))  # True, because 'foo' is converted to 'FOO'
print(MyClass.FOO)  # 'bar', accessing the uppercase attribute

Output:

False
True
bar

Explanation:

  • Metaclass Definition:
    • UpperAttrMeta is a metaclass that overrides the 'new' method.
    • It creates a new dictionary 'uppercase_attr' where all attribute names (except special methods starting with __) are converted to uppercase.
  • Class Creation:
    • MyClass is defined to use 'UpperAttrMeta' as its metaclass.
    • Attributes 'foo' and 'baz' in 'MyClass' are automatically converted to 'FOO' and 'BAZ'.
  • Testing the Class:
    • The test checks if 'foo' exists in 'MyClass' (it does not, because it was converted to uppercase).
    • It then checks if 'FOO' exists (it does) and prints its value ('bar').

Python Code Editor :

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